Guardian
Guardians are the result of the Necromorph infection anchoring a torso to flesh growing on the walls. One can usually tell when one is nearby when moaning, groaning, or screaming is heard. However, some have been observed as being silent until engaged in combat. Guardians are sentries, set up by the Necromorphs to defend certain, often mission critical, areas. Unable to move and attack enemies unless they move up close to the Guardian, Guardians utilize embryonic spawn, similar to a Lurker in that they spit out in front of themselves which will aid in attacking detected threats. Unlike many Necromorphs the infected human seems to retain consciousness, hence the constant moans and wails of pain, rather than simply acting as a lifeless host. The circumstances by which this occurs have not been made clear. If this is the case, however, they will be one of the few (aside from the Hunter) necromorphs created from a living host. Variants Immature An immature Guardian is a human torso that has just recently been attached to a wall infested with Necromorph growth and has just begun to mutate. The Immature Guardian still looks very human as it still has an unchanged head, arms and chest until the waist-down, where the abdomen is vertically split apart with the entrails hanging out. The human host is clearly still clinging onto life and will plea to Isaac for help in a weak and disturbingly augmented voice when alerted. Extremely weak and lethargic, the Immature Guardian is incapable of performing its matured brethren's lethal attacks and cannot host spawn. At the very most, they will play dead until approached close-up (or alerted when a light is shone in their face) where the infection will attempt to cause damage by flailing out their hosts relatively-short intestines over which the host has no control and will continue to plea for help. The creatures are 100% avoidable; the only way you can really be damaged by one is to walk up to it on purpose. Don't waste ammo on them, unless you feel like putting them out of their misery. If you use Kinesis on their body, they will moan in pain as you are trying to pull them off the wall. They will die in a matter of seconds if you constantly pull them. Mature A torso that has been given sufficient time to mutate and develop in Necromorph growth, the Mature Guardian is the most dangerous of the varieties encountered. Most of the human features of the host body are unrecognizable at this stage of its evolution and, as such, they look more like disgusting living, breathing mounds of flesh. Their defensive capabilities in comparison to an Immature Guardian are greatly enhanced. They will not hesitate to continuously spew out Guardian Pods when a threat is detected, and will also utilize their whip-like intestines to unerringly behead enemies that get too close to them, leaving an opponent no choice but to engage them with ranged weapons. Pods Created and stored within a Mature Guardian and spat out by the Guardian through an orifice in the stomach upon encountering a threat, these pods are sacks with a shape that vaguely resembles an embryo. They writhe and twitch and, having been utilized as a defensive tool, they are not made to grow and survive on their own for long. However, strangely, sometimes they could be found in groups, with no Guardian which can produce them, like in Chapter 10, or in Chapter 7, before you have to protect another character from waves of Necromorphs: on this occasion they appear when you are on the gondola, alongside some Lurkers. These Necromorphs are filled with volatile chemicals and explode when a transgressor steps near them. They are also capable of ranged attack by sprouting out a tentacle and shooting a barb at the source of the threat, much like a Lurker. They can be killed by severing their tentacle, which causes them to die and explode shortly thereafter. Strategy *Basically, the rule of thumb is as long as you can engage the Guardians at range, you should have no problems. Being creatures that are naturally defensive, they cannot pursue you due to being immobile. *When you encounter both your first and second mature Guardian, there'll be an explosive canister nearby. Aim at the opening on its chest to destroy it instantly. *The only thing you have to worry about are the spawns that are spewed at you. Just don't be foolish and charge the spawns and they won't explode. If they begin shooting projectiles simply sever the tentacles with the Plasma Cutter or the Line Gun (that's much better should those Pods be numerous). *Severing all the Guardian's tentacles from its chest with the Plasma Cutter will kill it. The Contact Beam at close range also seems to work well as it can take out multiple tentacles at once, efficiently killing the Guardian. 2-3 well placed Line Rack mines in the center of a Guardian can also be a good way to make quick work of them. *A fully upgraded (DMG Nodes at least) Force Gun can dispatch all tentacles in one shot in close range. Although it usually takes 2 shots to take out the pods. *Force Gun secondary fire bombs are a easy way to dispatch guardians. Aim high above the guardian's head, the bomb will impact its body and detonate, dealing massive damage, killing it in 2-3 hits from a good (and safe!) range. Aim carefully, as the bombs have a tendency to bounce and roll if they do not connect with an enemy itself. *Conserve your ammunition and don't kill the spawns before the Guardian is dead. With a bit of timing you can evade the projectiles they shoot while you sever the tentacles of the Guardian and quite often they all shoot at once, making it even easier. *Do not open fire on a Mature guardian until it has released its tentacles onto the wall it is anchored to. If you do shoot at it before it notices you it will only shake its head in annoyance. *Never get close to a Guardian, no matter how much health you have. It can always kill Isaac in one hit at close quarters. *If you put a Guardian under stasis and stay just out of reach of its fatal attack, you can cut through all of its tentacles with a single Ripper blade, provided that the Ripper has been sufficiently upgraded. The caveat is that should it fire a pod directly behind you, the immediate explosion will propel you right into its bladed tentacle, and you'll be literally dead before you know it. To avoid this, fire stasis moments before it launches a pod; this should slow down both. Trivia *After dispatching a Mature Guardian, if the player listens closely they can hear the human host give a sigh of relief at the end of the creature's death animation. *It's possible the Corruption slowly grows around the creature and mutates it. The substance may also use the creature as a weapon when the uninfected get too close. The process is possibly quite painful, which would explain why Guardians moan when Isaac is around. Death Scene thumb|Right|250px|Death Sequence by a Guardian *If you get too close to a Guardian, the Guardian will shoot a tentacle out of its chest and decapitate Isaac. Isaac's body will try to feel what is remaining of his head before stumbling to the ground. :*Isaac's torso can also be taken out with a cut to the waist. :*The tentacles can also rip Isaac apart after decapitation, although it is rare that this happens. :*If Isaac is killed by an exploding pod, he is thrown backward and usually has a limb or two amputated. Gallery File:Immature_Guardian.jpg 788782-guardian super.jpg guardian.png|guardian game modelKyle Winkelman's Game Model Appearances *''Dead Space'' Sources Category:Necromorphs